obama was back in campaign mode deriding governor romney's promise to bring change to washington. >> another $5 trillion tax cut that favors the wealthy isn't change. turning medicare into a voucher is change, but we don't want that change. >> reporter: the president's schedule over the next five days tells you a lot about his strategy. he'll be spending a great deal of time in ohio and wisconsin trying to build a midwest firewall to prevent governor romney from reaching 270 electoral votes. >> we really can't have four more years like the last four years. i know that the obama folks are chanting four more years. our chant is five more days. >> reporter: at a rally in virginia a campaign cheer was also a reminder of how little time is left. >> five more days. five more days. >> reporter: before the hurricane romney had momentum. the race was in a dead heat and he was tied or within striking distance. but the storm knocked him off the front pages at a crucial time in the race. on monday and tuesday he canceled rallies. back on the trail yesterday in florida he tend down his criticism